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View 2: Empirical fluoroquinolone therapy is sufficient initial treatment

¹ Royal Perth Hospital, Wellington Street, Perth, WA, 6000, Australia
² Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, 3065, Australia; daniellm@ozemail.com.au

Keywords: microbial keratitis; antibiotics

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

A lthough the treatment of microbial keratitis has changed with the introduction of new antimicrobials, the management principles still remain the same. In general, suspected microbial keratitis is treated with empirical therapy of intensive topical broad spectrum antimicrobials. This is because delaying treatment until the diagnosis is confirmed may worsen the visual outcome and allow further complications. Whether there is a need for microbiological investigation for all patients is contentious, as is empirical primary treatment with fluoroquinolone monotherapy.

WHAT CAUSES MICROBIAL KERATITIS?
Microbial keratitis is rare in the absence of predisposing risk factors. In the past trauma and ocular surface compromise (for example, bullous keratopathy, exposure, etc) were the major risks. However, with the introduction of soft contact lenses and their widespread use since the 1980s, the demographic profile of those presenting with suspected microbial keratitis has changed. Figure 1 shows the demographic change in the age groups of those presenting with suspected . . . [Full text of this article]

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